OFFICIAL Land Rover thread.

[slammin.e28]

I decided to switch it up a bit. I'm taking a week off of work in December....so I'm going to work on the Series III. That'll be a lot cooler to be hooning around in the snow with than the Disco 2 anyway....especially since I don't have a roof for it.

[slammin.e28]

Annnnnd tossing it up a bit more.

I'm putting a M54 in the truck.

It's the perfect engine for it. A little less tq, but more HP....I think with simple mods I can make up for the tq loss. Wiring will be easy, already have that mostly figured out...engine insertion will be easy....it's still the 4hp trans in the Rover.

After reading so many horror stories on RV8s, I figured I'd stick with what I know. Armed with wiring diagrams, I can make this thing operate as stock.

Have a strict timeline to get it on the road before the snow starts to seriously fly. Also have a week vacay next week and the week from Xmas thru the 1st to get it done up.

May start a separate thread when it's done with all the documentation. It's going to be so nice.

M54 is god's engine.

[ST1G]

I thought the m30 was God's engine.

[slammin.e28]

I'm polytheistic.

[LateFan]

LR rumour (ha) mill is churning again...

The word is the new Defender is mostly designed, the mechanical & chassis bits are solved, and they will begin engineering testing on mules soon. I would say this means they'll hide the chassis under another similar shell and we'll never know it's a Defender under there until later.

They will use the newest version of the Discovery LR / Range Rover / RRS aluminum unit chassis with two aluminum subframes. Live axles. It won't have air suspension, active body control, or any of the techy shit underneath in order to keep costs down. It will NOT be related to either the new Discovery Sport or the Evoque.

Five body styles: 2-door SWB metal top, 2-door soft top, 4-door long WB metal top, 2-door SWB pickup, and a 4-door LWB pickup.

Engines will be 2-liter diesels, 2-liter turbo fours, and a 300hp 3.0 V6. Six-speed manual or 9-speed auto. Low-range transfer case, and diff locks available.

"We are working on the aesthetic successor to the old Defender" - Jaguar Land Rover Chief Dr Ralf Speth

They hope to have it arrive in time for the 70th anniversary in 2018. They hope / need to sell 30,000 units/year, but production can easily be increased if there's demand. They will be North-American legal and sold in the US.

I'm excited to see one. It's got to be 1000% better than that thing they proposed a couple of years ago, and I think they learned from that.

[rturbo 930]

I'm excited to see one. It's got to be 1000% better than that thing they proposed a couple of years ago, and I think they learned from that.

This one? Yeah, that thing is an embarrassment. Good to hear it won't make it to production. The new Defender sound like it could be pretty damn cool. I hope the US gets the diesel engine, and that the MSRP isn't too lofty.

[ST1G]

I'm polytheistic.

I get it. I'm a flexatarian.

[slammin.e28]

OFFICIAL Land Rover thread.

Today I pulled that lump of a Rv8 out and applied a thin layer of M20 bellhousing to the transmission.





Tomorrow the junk M54 goes in to mock things up. I'm so giddy.

[LJ851]

I thought the m30 was God's engine.

Preach.

[slammin.e28]

Finally fits.





Things were learned. The P38 steering box will not no way no how bolt to the Disco frame, so I've got to live with the box in the engine bay.

Also, the next one I do I'm going to try a M62. It's not a "bolt in" affair though.

[LateFan]

JUST fits.

Things were learned.

In Defender News.....
This is in Autoweek. 2017 Land Rover Discovery review. Read between the lines - this is the new Defender chassis under this thing....

"...aluminum Premium Lightweight Architecture (PLA), also under the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport. Thus the LR4’s heavy ladder frame is out, and unibody construction is in. The automaker says the Discovery is about 1,000 pounds lighter than the near-6,000 pound LR4."

> LR3 and 4 were SO heavy, silly heavy. Take out the complicated electronics and posh leather interior and I'll bet the Defender is lighter still.

"The Discovery can tow up to 4,400 pounds, and, being a Land Rover, of course the off-road chops are here: 11.1 inches of ground clearance and 3 feet (!) of wading depth... Suspension is double-wishbone front and multilink rear."

"As expected, the new Discovery sailed through everything we threw at it, fording, climbing, descending -- no worries. It felt near unstoppable."

http://autoweek.com/article/car-reviews/2017-land-rover-discovery-first-drive#ixzz4Sl7ejvol

[rturbo 930]

Take out the complicated electronics and posh leather interior and I'll bet the Defender is lighter still.l

I would certainly hope so. 5000lbs is still really fuckin heavy.

[UNHCLL]

In Defender News.....

http://autoweek.com/article/car-revi...#ixzz4Sl7ejvol

That's an ugly Ford Explorer Sport!
Hope the Defender doesn't look like like the new trend...

[LateFan]

It's just the suspension and chassis underneath that will be similar.

[LateFan]

5000lbs is still really fuckin heavy.

Like 1500lbs too heavy (IMO). Don't know what an old 109 weighed, or an early 110 before all the gadgets...probably not 3500, that's why they held up.